1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a decoy apparatus for use by a hunter for wild fowl, in particular, large birds such as turkeys and geese. The invention comprises an improvement in means for easily and quickly anchoring the decoy with a strut through the middle of its body. The assembly comprises two essentially rigid struts, the inner strut being nearly completely concealed within the outer strut. By “essentially rigid strut” is meant that each strut resists deformation upon compression so that the inner strut, when manually grasped, may be thrust into the ground without fracturing it. The outer strut necessarily includes a longitudinal bore, that is, it is tubular; the inner strut may be either tubular or solid. When the decoy is deployed in a standing position by anchoring it in the ground with the strut assembly, the outer tubular strut is the upper strut and the inner strut is the lower strut. When the decoy is anchored, a portion of the strut assembly protrudes through the decoy's lower body for a distance approximating the length of the leg of a live bird. The end of the lower or inner strut is tapered and pointed to facilitate thrusting the tapered end of the lower (inner) strut into the ground upon which a live wild bird is to be enticed and, then, expected to alight. When the decoy is so anchored, the body which is a molded likeness of the bird, produces the visual impression of a live bird standing on the ground.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A hunter seeking to attract a particular wild bird to a particular patch of ground typically chooses to use a decoy to do so. The decoy is a molded likeness of a bird calculated to attract another bird of the same species. For example, to attract a wild turkey, a hunter would use one of numerous, commercially available turkey decoys which mimic a live turkey, most of which decoys are currently mass produced.
The feet of the decoy in use are usually represented by a single strut, because it has been found that a live bird appears to accept this simple means for anchoring the body of the decoy as representative of another wild bird of the same species. Most commonly used for the strut in the prior art, is an assembly of two rigid plastic struts (typically cylindrical tubes) each having approximately the same cylindrical cross-section and a wall thickness in the range from about 1 mm-2 mm. The relative vertical positioning of the two struts is interchangeable, that is, either strut may be used as an upper strut or a lower strut because each strut is provided with a tapered end. One end of the assembly is removably thrust upwardly from below the body of the decoy, through a lower body aperture, and into an upper aperture typically provided by a doughnut-shaped washer laterally positioned within the upper surface of the body of the bird. Though a single aperture may be provided to mimic the decoy in any standing position, it is preferred to provide two approximately linearly aligned, first (mid-body) and second (aft) apertures. Each aperture is typically reinforced by a doughnut-shaped washer positioned so that the washers are longitudinally spaced apart a distance of from 3″ (ins)-5″ (ins), preferably about 4″ on a typical mature turkey, along the longitudinal center line of the main body. The diameters of the first and second apertures are each in the range from about 0.5 cm-1.5 cm, preferably about 1 cm in diameter.
A “standing” turkey may be in either the “sentry” or the “feeding” positions. When the tapered upper end of the strut is thrust into the first aperture (first or fore washer) which is located at about the midsection of the body of the bird, approximately above the center of mass of the decoy, it mimics a standing turkey said to be in the “sentry” position. When the tapered upper end of the strut is thrust into the second aperture (second or aft washer) which is located aft of the first washer, and about midway between the first washer and the end of the body from which end the tail feathers protrude, the decoy mimics a standing turkey with its head near the ground, said to be in the “feeding” position.
Before the above-described prior art decoy is anchored, the tapered upper end of the upper strut is thrust into either of the washers, so that the tapered upper end of the strut is loosely held in the washer. Because the washer rests on the tapered upper end, the weight of the body keeps it positioned on the tapered upper end so that the body of the decoy is free to rotate about a vertical axis provided by the upper strut without the tapered upper end of the upper strut being attached to the body with any attachment means. The strut assembly is thus assembled on site and unsecured when it is thrust into either the first washer (first aperture) or the second washer (second) aperture.
In such prior art decoys, the two tubular struts of the strut assembly are carried to a hunting site separately from the body of the decoy, that is, the assembly is not and cannot be secured within, and carried in the body of the decoy. Because the upper and lower struts of the assembly are each pointed to be thrust into a washer, they may be positioned vertically relative to one another so their positions are interchangeable. The upper strut is to be inserted in either one of the two apertures (i.e. a chosen washer) in the decoy when a hunter arrives at the location where the decoy is to be placed; then the lower strut is fitted into the lower end of the upper strut, then the decoy is deployed by thrusting the lower strut into the ground.
In practice, to anchor the decoy, the lower strut of the prior art strut assembly is preferably provided with a tapered end terminating in a pointed end more aggressively tapered and sharply pointed than the tapered and pointed end of the upper strut so that the lower end is readily insertable into ground upon which the targeted bird is expected to alight. Either the upper end of one of the struts (typically the lower strut), or the lower end of the other strut, terminates in an inwardly constricted cylindrical stub from about 2 cm-3 cm long. This stub is typically formed by circumferentially constricting the non-pointed end to provide the cylindrical stub having an outside diameter from about 0.005″ to about 0.020″ smaller than the inner diameter of the lower portion of the upper strut. The cylindrical stub allows one strut to be slidably snugly, preferably tightly, fitted, and removably insertable into the cylindrical end of the other strut to a distance which is necessarily less than fifty percent (50%), typically about 10% of the length of the stub, that is, the cylindrical lower portion of the upper strut is from about 2 cm-3 cm long; typically, the lower end of the upper strut is provided with the constricted cylindrical stub portion so that maximum force and pressure may be exerted on the upper strut, which force is snugly contained in the upper end of the lower strut, allowing the assembly to be thrust in relatively hard soil without breaking either strut.
The lengths of the upper and lower struts are typically approximately the same though the relative lengths are not narrowly critical so long as the portion of the assembly protruding from the lower surface of the decoy's body is such that it mimics a bird standing in either the sentry or the feeding positions. In general, the portion of the assembly protruding from the lower surface of the decoy's body is typically no more than 20% greater than the height of the bird's body measured from the top of the bird's leg to the upper surface of the body, which is typically in the range from about 8 ins. to 16 ins. depending upon the gender, age and size of the bird.
As stated, because the upper end of the upper strut of the commonly used prior art strut assembly cannot be fastened in the body of the decoy, only the upper and lower struts are generally pre-assembled (to avoid misplacing or losing one). When the hunting site is reached, the upper pointed end of the upper strut is thrust into the chosen first or second body aperture, and with the decoy now resting on the upper end of the strut without being securely fastened to the body, the sharp lower end of the lower strut is manually thrust into the ground by tightly holding the protruding lower portion of the assembly, and forcing the lower end of the lower strut into the ground.
To facilitate locating the chosen aperture with the pointed upper end of the upper strut, the lower body of the decoy is typically provided with a longitudinal slotted opening which extends from near the molded tail feathers to a location spaced apart from the lower body aperture for insertion of the strut. The slotted opening is typically from about 3 ins.-6 ins. long and serves a dual purpose; (i) the slot allows the hunter to sight the chosen first or second aperture through the inner enclosed space of the hollow body (if there is enough light available) so as to insert the pointed upper end of the upper strut, and (ii) the slot facilitates folding the body of the decoy into a compact mass for shipping or carrying multiple decoys simultaneously.
The Problem:
Referring specifically to wild turkeys, they are well known both, for their skittishness and also their propensity to feed in the early hours of the day. It is therefore generally necessary to deploy the decoy(s) just before dawn when there is little light. When the folded body of the decoy is unfolded, it autogenously expands (that is, self-expands) to form the body of the turkey. Then the struts (typically a dark color to mimic the dark color of the bird's feet) of the strut assembly are to be identified and, if not preassembled, the upper end of the lower strut is tightly fitted into the lower end of the upper strut—not so easily done in poor light, given the close tolerance between the cylindrical stub of the lower strut and the inner diameter of the upper strut. The upper end of the upper strut of the assembly is then to be inserted in one of the apertures to present the decoy in the chosen position. In poor lighting conditions, it is easy to find the lower aperture in the lower body and to thrust the upper tube of the assembly through the lower body aperture, but it is difficult to see the first and second apertures in the upper surface of the body of the decoy, so it is difficult to thrust the tapered upper end of the upper strut of the assembly into a chosen aperture so as to present the bird in the position of choice.
The foregoing is an age-old problem which hunters have coped with ever since it was found that an excellent replica of a wild fowl, particularly of a turkey or goose, is readily molded to form a shaped form having a relatively uniform wall thickness, the wall, typically from 1 mm to 5 mm thick, enclosing a large body cavity having only a slightly smaller volume than that of the entire body.
Moreover, the physical properties of affordable rigid plastic struts (tubes) are such that, to withstand the force of being thrust into hard ground, a practical outer diameter of the tubes of the assembly is at least in the range from about 1 cm to 1.5 cm, and the tapered lower end is tapered to a point over a distance of about 2 cm to 3 cm so that the tapered end is more readily inserted into the ground and resists being broken when forcibly thrust into the ground. Thus, if the ground is hard, as it typically is, it becomes necessary to drive a steel rod into the ground to form a bore into which the tapered lower end of the lower tube can be inserted.
Still further, if one happens to drop one of the darkly colored struts of the prior art assembly while attempting to assemble the struts in the field, it is necessary to hunt for and find the missing strut in poor light, before the struts can be assembled.